Small Things Like These
November 6th, 2024
MOVIE: SMALL THINGS LIKE THESE
STARRING: CILLIAN MURPHY, EMILY WATSON, EILEEN WALSH, MICHELLE FAIRLEY
DIRECTED BY: TIM MIELANTS
AMovieGuy.com’s RATING: 3 STARS (Out of 4)
RATED: PG-13
RUN TIME: 98 MINUTES
The title Small Things Like These is fitting, as it reflects the quiet, unassuming nature of the story. But beneath its gentle surface, the film tackles difficult and harrowing subject matter. Directed by Tim Mielants, it features another standout performance from Cillian Murphy, following his success in Oppenheimer. Adapted from Claire Keegan’s novel, the film follows Bill Furlong, a coal delivery man in a small Irish town in 1985. His life takes a turn when he uncovers disturbing truths about a convent’s treatment of women and children, while also confronting painful secrets from his past. The film explores the complexities of doing the right thing, the lies we tell ourselves, and the horrors lurking just below the surface.
One important note: Small Things Like These is not fast-paced or action-packed. Instead, it’s a slow-moving character study, focusing on Bill’s internal struggles as he faces the weight of his discoveries. Murphy plays Bill, a father of five, married to his wife Eileen (Eileen Walsh). Bill is quiet and observant, his days spent delivering coal, interacting with familiar faces, and returning home to scrub the soot from his hands. Along his route, he passes a convent that houses unwed mothers—supposedly a place of refuge, though it’s anything but. The women are exploited for labor, and their children are put up for adoption against their will.
Bill’s growing unease escalates when he finds a terrified girl hiding in the coal shed. He takes her home and eventually brings her to Sister Mary (a chilling Emily Watson). There, he faces veiled threats and intimidation, which lead him to revisit painful memories from his past. The weight of these revelations compels Bill to act.
The film’s mood is shaped by a strong collaboration between the cast and crew. Enda Walsh’s screenplay, adapting Keegan’s novel, makes every word and moment count. Mielants’ direction immerses us in the film’s dark world, using shadows and low lighting to create a palpable sense of dread. The film’s Irish village feels suffocating as if everyone has been touched by the atrocities happening in the convent. Cillian Murphy’s performance captures this emotional burden, his face rarely offering a smile. His subdued, nuanced portrayal anchors the film’s theme of moral awakening.
From a tonal perspective, Small Things Like These can be difficult to recommend for those seeking faster-paced films, but it is an undeniably precise and purposeful work. It straddles the line between fear and numbness, capturing the quiet horror of complicity and the difficulty of taking action. Murphy’s performance serves as a reminder of the importance of speaking out against injustice, something that feels especially relevant in today’s world. In this way, Small Things Like These is a film worth advocating for.
3 STARS
SMALL THINGS LIKE THESE IS PLAYING IN SELECT THEATERS FRIDAY NOVEMBER 22ND, 2024.
Written by: Leo Brady
